Furniture



I (.No Model.)

P. A. WOODS.

FURNITURE.

Patented Aug 17,1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

FRANK A. woons, or RACINE, wIscoNsIN.

'. FURNITURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 588,208, dated August 17, 1897. Application filed Decemherll, 1896. Serial No. 615,3 l7. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. Woons, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furniture; and I do hereby declare that the-following is a full, clear, and'exact description thereof. Y

My invention contemplates a simple, economical, and knockdown reading and writing tablet for adjustable connection with a chair, table, or other convenient support; and it consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents an elevation of my device with parts thereof in section on planes indicated by the angular dotted lines 1 1 in Figs. 2 and 4'; Fig. 2, a similar view of the head portion of the device, partly broken away; Fig. 3, a like view illustrating the connection of said device with a support, the latter being in section, as inclicated by line 3 3 in Fig. 1; Fig. 4,a' detail plan view partly in horizontal section, as indicated by line 4 4 in Fig. 3; and Fig. 5, a view showing one corner of a book or paper rest constituting part of the aforesaid device.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A represents a vertical sleeve attachable to a chair, table, or other convenient support. The sleeve is herein shown as provided with an upper lateral lip B, having a dovetail mortise across its under side for the engagement of a dovetail block 0, of leather, rubber, felt, or other non-abrading material, this 'block being readily slipped into place and having sufficient thickness to prevent contact of said sleeve-lip with the under surface parallel thereto.

As herein shown the sleeve-lip B may constitute the upper stationary jaw of a clamp, the lower jaw of this clamp being a swivelbutton D on the upper end of a screw E, that has its thread engaging a tapped vertical opening in another lip F, extending laterally from the sleeve A parallel to the lip aforesaid.

The sleeve is provided with an aperture, and extending through this aperture is the horizontal tongue portion 0 of a latch G in pivotal connection with a wing d,that extends from said sleeve in a direction at a right angle to that of the aforesaid lips. A recess in the outer portion of the sleeve serves as a seat for a spiral spring 6, that surrounds a nipple extending in from the latch, and the expansive force of the spring exerted against said latch maintains the tongue 0 thereof in working position, the play opposite said spring being limited by a vertical flange f of the aforesaid latch coming into contact with said outer portion of the sleeve adjacent to the aperture therein. The sleeve is' also shown provided with a tapped opening gfor the engagement of an ordinary set-screw.

In loose rotative engagement with the sleeve A is a rod H, shaped at intervals of its length to provide annular grooves hfor the engagement of latch-tongue 0, these grooves being preferably beveled away at their bottoms to permit elevation of the rod, there being automatic retraction of the latch when this operation takes place.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the engagement of the latch-tongue c with any one of the grooves h will serve to maintain the rod in a corresponding verticallyadjusted position, said rod being free to rotate unless held against such movement by a set-screw that may be engaged with the tapped opening g in said sleeve. The employment of a set-screw will also serve to hold the rod at such adjustments in a vertical direction as will not permitof one of itsgrooves being engaged by the latch-tongue.

The upper end of the rod is reduced to form a pintle i and seat for the socket end j of an arm-section I, herein shown as having its other end provided with a pintle 76 for the engagement of a socket end m of another arm-section J, the other end a of the latter arm-section being also a socket.

While it is preferable to employ an extension-arm made up of the sections I J, the latter section may be utilized as a stiff non-ex tensible arm in pivotal or rigid connection with the rod II, or it may be found desirable to have more than the two arm-sections in successive swivel-joint connection.

The socket end n of armsection J is for the engagement of the lower pintle end 10 of a shank q, having a ratchet-head K, engaged by a pivot 7', connecting ears .9 of a bracket made fast to the under side of a rest L for a book or writing-paper, the edge of the rest adjacent to the bracket being preferably provided with a guard-flange t, as herein shown.

Hung on a pivot to intermediate of the bracket-ears s are a pair of detents M, engageable with the ratchet-head K of shank q, and a spiral spring V has its ends seated in the detents above their pivot. By means of the detents and ratchet-headed shank the rest may be adjusted to various angles in either direction from a horizontal position.

Held by screws or other suitable means to the outer side of guard-flange i of rest L are spring-wires N, that extend outward parallel to said flange and being bent to form coils to, that come clear of the flange ends. They continue on curves of inward bend tolap the front or back of said rest, as may be found most convenient. lVhen these inwardly-bent free portions of the spring-wires lap the front of rest L, they serve as leaf-holders for a book spread open upon the same, but not being needed for this function they are adjusted by springing to come back of said rest out of the way.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. The ratchet-head, a rest for books or writing material provided with a bracket having ears thereof in pivotal connection with the ratchet head, a pivot connecting the bracket-ears, a pair of head-engaging detents hung on the pivot, a spring interposed between the detents above the pivot, and suitable means for the support of said ratchethead.

2. The rest L provided with the guard-flange t, and the spring-wires N made fast to said flange to extend outward parallel thereto, these wires being bent to form coils 10 clear of the flange ends and continued on curves of inward bend to lap the front or back of said rest as may be found convenient.

3. The vertical sleeve attachable to a convenient support, a rod adjustable in the sleeve, an arm in connection with the upper end of the rod, a ratchet having a shank engageable with the arm, a rest for books or writing material provided with abracket having ears thereof in pivotal connection with the ratchethead, a pivot connecting the bracket-ears, a pair of head-engaging detents hung on the pivot, and a spring interposed between the detents above the pivot.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Visconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK A. VOODS.

\Vitnesses:

FRED. W. MARTIN, Geo. D. FELLows. 

